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A person in our church at Fort Wayne gave the minister $400 with the instructions he was to give twenty dollars to twenty members with the instructions to keep $10 for themselves and give $10 to a person that $10 would encourage, make them feel good about receiving it, and feel someone cares about them. I thought it was a good idea. Most of the people I love do not need Christmas gifts but Christmas is the time of giving. So I decided to repeat the project in Burma. I gave out five gifts to five friends with the same instructions.

Here is one report.

Dear Neil & Diana, Thank you so much for receiving $20. As you want me to give $10 to those who are in need I've already given to them but I also want to participate in this contribution and I added my $10 to this contribution. The needy people are 3 Indian Christian orphans, and their mother recently died and their father died 10 years ago. They live in Aung Ky…

Naw Paw Gaw works with the Yangon Karen Women’s Development Group and she sets up microcredit groups of six to twelve women who each develop a business plan to provide income for her family. Projects include sewing, raising chickens or hogs, small retail shop, gardening, buying wholesale and selling retail, etc. The group works together to help each develop her business.

Here is a report from one of the groups. Ma Oo Bin Zone Women Micro Finance Group is composed of families headed by women. They had received a grant in 2014. This group has a leader, secretary and treasurer. They have organized the group as a church women’s group and gave initial loan to the members beginning from $50 to $70 for individual loans. The interest charge of loan is 5% per month while other money lenders is 10%-15% in the villages.

The group started the capital amount from $300 and within two years they have received back more than $500. They contributed $45 to Yangon Kayin Baptist Women Association for E…

Back in January, 2016, Friends of Burma was approached by a dynamic, mission oriented, family in Tacoma, Washington. This family of mother, father, son, and daughter, were actively raising funds to allow those graduates of the Childcare Centers who had successfully matriculated (passed the final secondary school testing) to continue attending college or trade schools.

This family has given concerts, run races, and solicited donations for these outstanding students. They call themselves Lightning for Learning. In April, Friends of Burma sent the first $4,500 for the further education of 10 of these young people. This is $450 per year for each student. FOB is honored to be able to assist in this project, which will be continuing.

Saw Si Lah

His parents were lost in the Nargis cyclone which killed 134,000 people in May 2008. Pathein-Myaungmya Association leaders sent him to the Childcare Center with his brother Saw Ger Gler. He finished 11th grade in 2011-2012 academic year and currently…

His regular donor is Janelle [last name withheld]. He grew up in Pu Saw Bu child care center. I talked to him when I was in Yangon. He is now a professional soccer player of the second team of the Irrawaddy football club. He is 18 years old and a striker. I introduced myself to him as one of the members of Friends of Burma (FOB). He knows FOB well. I told him that I wanted to let his donor know something about him and wanted his pictures. He sent his photos to me via his cellphone immediately. I don't know how much he got paid as a professional soccer player for a month, but I know whenever he plays a match, he gets more than one lakh (about $100). He is in touch with Pu Saw Bu child care center. To become a soccer star is one of the popular dreams among the youngsters in Myanmar. I told him to try hard to become a first class team player. He is still young and has a great chance to become a star. This is one of the fruits of FOB's mission.

I distributed 37 mosquito nets at Ywa Thit village in Twan Tay township. That is the place of mangoes and mosquitoes. We participated in their worship program. My cousin preached and I prayed for them. Each of 36 families received a mosquito net.

They gave us 4 full bags of mangoes. It is impossible to eat them all. We distributed them in another village, Nyaung Ywa.

They thanked Friends of Burma (FOB) so much. I also thank FOB for receiving mangoes from them. Some said they were using the old dirty nets, and kept the new ones for visitors.

I would like to say thank you to FOB for protecting poor people from mosquito bites. Now, the time of mosquitoes is starting. I distributed some other mosquito nets to nearby villages.

It is too hot here. The monsoon will be starting soon. There is a low pressure in the Bay of Bengal. We need rain. I have to spend one and a half hour for watering the plants everyday. But some plants still died.